---------------------------------------------------------- Stratus-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 03/14/06: 5 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 04:35 PM - Is your hose seeping coolant? (LarryMcFarland) 2. 04:57 PM - Left canopy latch was not (LarryMcFarland) 3. 04:58 PM - Re: Is your hose seeping coolant? (Kelly Meiste) 4. 05:48 PM - Re: Left canopy latch was not (Michel Therrien) 5. 06:32 PM - Re: Left canopy latch was not (Bryan Martin) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 04:35:43 PM PST US From: LarryMcFarland Subject: Stratus-List: Is your hose seeping coolant? --> Stratus-List message posted by: LarryMcFarland Hi guys, This is a minor thing, but day before yesterday, I was asked about hoses on my Stratus and the connecting sizes involved. Such detail is only found by review at my age, so the plane was visited and notes were made while I inspected and detailed each hose. The hose that returns coolant from the radiator to the water pump passes beneath the upper right Stratus motor mount. In 85 hours of run-time, the hose was just worn and cracked at the spot where it touches the mount. It was seeping a very small amount of coolant. Because it's also on a suction side of the water pump, I'd suppose only air would be taken in while the engine was running. Never-the-less, I thought that because it's only 3-inches from the water-pump, it's likely that several of you will have the same kind of contact and wear between the hose and the mount and you'd want to have a heads-up and take a look too. I bought a new set of hoses this afternoon and will be replacing the worn one, or patching the hose before I fly again. Best regards, Larry McFarland - 601HDS - Stratus - at www.macsmachine.com ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 04:57:48 PM PST US From: LarryMcFarland Subject: Stratus-List: Left canopy latch was not --> Stratus-List message posted by: LarryMcFarland Hi guys, Last Saturday afternoon I was giving a friend a "first flight" in my 601HDS and just before takeoff, I lowered the canopy and heard the latches click. I lifted the right side because it had once before not been secure. On that occasion I closed and latched it easily using my right hand and the flight continued. On this occasion, the left latch had come down just outside the latch-bar and I failed to check it just before takeoff. Well, about 300 feet up, the left side had an inch of gap at my elbow and it couldn't be forced down well enough to secure it, so I called tower and requested an immediate turn-about. I told my passenger that it might be awkward to hold the canopy with my left hand and fly stick and throttle with my right but we'd fly the plane, fly the plane, etc. It was a little jerky switching between throttle and stick, but we landed and I revisited the process and allowed my passenger to calm down and then we took off for a good hour of flight without further problems. Beautiful day. No damage was done, but I'm going to revisit the latch and see if better security is possible for the forward hinged canopy latch system. Anyone done that already? Larry McFarland - 601HDS at www.macsmachine.com ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 04:58:57 PM PST US From: "Kelly Meiste" Subject: Re: Stratus-List: Is your hose seeping coolant? --> Stratus-List message posted by: "Kelly Meiste" Hi Larry, When building my plane I've noted that may be an issue as mine looked to be touching as yours is. So from day one I've added some protection from wear at that point, and to date it's holding up just fine. I do get a slight seepage from time to time the from the small hose coming out of the water pump, had to tighten it again just this week. Thanks for the heads up, I'll double check my lower hose just in case. Kelly ----- Original Message ----- From: "LarryMcFarland" Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 6:34 PM Subject: Stratus-List: Is your hose seeping coolant? The hose that returns > coolant from the radiator to the water pump passes beneath the upper > right Stratus motor mount. In 85 hours of run-time, the hose was just > worn and cracked at the spot where it touches the mount. It was seeping > a very small amount of coolant. ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 05:48:43 PM PST US From: Michel Therrien Subject: Re: Stratus-List: Left canopy latch was not --> Stratus-List message posted by: Michel Therrien Keep us posted on what you do Larry. (on Zenith list) This happened to me a couple of times. Once, I left it like that, did one circuit and landed. Another time, I trimmed the plane, used both hands and was able to close the canopy in flight. Michel do not archive --- LarryMcFarland wrote: > --> Stratus-List message posted by: LarryMcFarland > > > Hi guys, > Last Saturday afternoon I was giving a friend a > "first flight" > in my 601HDS and just before takeoff, I lowered the > canopy > and heard the latches click. I lifted the right > side because > it had once before not been secure. On that > occasion I closed > and latched it easily using my right hand and the > flight continued. > On this occasion, the left latch had come down just > outside the > latch-bar and I failed to check it just before > takeoff. > Well, about 300 feet up, the left side had an inch > of gap at my elbow > and it couldn't be forced down well enough to secure > it, so I called > tower and requested an immediate turn-about. I told > my passenger > that it might be awkward to hold the canopy with my > left hand and fly > stick and throttle with my right but we'd fly the > plane, fly the plane, etc. > It was a little jerky switching between throttle and > stick, but we landed > and I revisited the process and allowed my passenger > to calm down > and then we took off for a good hour of flight > without further problems. > Beautiful day. > No damage was done, but I'm going to revisit the > latch and see if > better security is possible for the forward hinged > canopy latch system. > > Anyone done that already? > > Larry McFarland - 601HDS at www.macsmachine.com > > > > > > browse > Subscriptions page, > FAQ, > http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Stratus-List > > Admin. > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------- Michel Therrien CH601-HD, C-GZGQ http://mthobby.pcperfect.com/ch601 http://www.zenithair.com/bldrlist/profiles/mthobby http://pages.infinit.net/mthobby ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 06:32:26 PM PST US Subject: Re: Stratus-List: Left canopy latch was not From: Bryan Martin --> Stratus-List message posted by: Bryan Martin On my 601XL, I have had one side come loose in flight because I didn't check it latched well enough. All I had to do is pull the throttle to idle and I was able to pull it back down and latch it. I think I read a post here once where someone released the latch on an XL in flight to see what would happen. As I recall, the poster stated that the canopy only opened a few inches and stayed there. He was able to land normally. The post might still be in the archives. -- Bryan Martin N61BM, CH 601 XL, Stratus Subaru. on 3/14/06 7:56 PM, LarryMcFarland at larry@macsmachine.com wrote: > --> Stratus-List message posted by: LarryMcFarland > > Hi guys, > Last Saturday afternoon I was giving a friend a "first flight" > in my 601HDS and just before takeoff, I lowered the canopy > and heard the latches click. I lifted the right side because ... > > No damage was done, but I'm going to revisit the latch and see if > better security is possible for the forward hinged canopy latch system. > > Anyone done that already? > > Larry McFarland - 601HDS at www.macsmachine.com > > >